Gnashrip makes his way back to the town, hurrying.  Orcs have extraordinary endurance.  A human can run as fast as an Orc, and an Elf much faster, but neither can keep up exertion like an Orc can.

On the other hand, returning, he is much more direct.  Perhaps he feels that returning to Cambete, there are no secrets to protect, and obviously no one to follow him.

Returning, the Orc makes a bee line for the old bridge fortress used as Pugnant's home.  It's another "Orc thing"; Orcs don't have much regard for aesthetics.  Even given the choice, they would much rather live in a fortress than a manor or even a palace.  Strong stone block appeals to them.

But another thing Orcs are fond of is having guards.  This is probably one of the biggest reasons why Orcs on their own never built much in the way of civilization: when not fighting, at least a third of their labor supply is probably tied up guarding something.  Gnashrip comes to a stop, as two other Orcs order him to halt.  He goes into a frantic explanation, telling them that he must speak with Pugnant at once, in a matter of great importance.

When they press him, he says (In Orcish); "I have been right all along. What I have said to you before is true."

Alayna looked at Nwofia in confusion, then the bold of comprehension came to her young brow. "Oh! Oh, I see." she smiled. "Oh, how foolish I am!" She impulsively hugged the other woman. "Thank you! Thank you for showing me!"

Tahra manages to keep up though on the winded side. Even so, she stands there as if her presence were the most natural thing in the world.

Nwofia hugs Alayna and she follows, quiet as a shadow she follows, and hears and guesses what the orc says to the other orcs but knows not. It doesn't matter what he says.  She could kill him but does not.  That would not fit in to the show and besides, best that the orcs kill him, relying as he does on gods that are not gods.

It's hard for those who don't speak Orcish to follow what is happening, but some of the emotions bridge language gaps.  Gnashrip has the absolute certainty of someone who truly believes.

Even the Orc guards sense this.  They might not believe what he believes, but they sense that he does, and if that is the case... then there is the chance that it is all true.  And if that is the case... they'd best.. at least... notify Pugnant.

One turns to check with the Boss.  The other stays.

The guard returns with Pugnant.  The characters remember him from the show.  Large, for an Orc, especially around the middle, but surprisingly healthy looking.  A little cleaner, more polished than the average Orc.  Or even the exceptional Orc, as if somewhere along the way he learned some trick of washing that eludes most of his kind.

Pugnant looks unimpressed as Gnashrip goes into a dramatic retelling of events.

Tahra holds her Broom and waits.

Alayna followed Nwofia for a short distance, then stopped. If Gnashrip was going back to town to bring the other orcs, then she should ready herself to receive them. She turned, then giggled. She would return to the mansion, make a place for herself, hide herself, then just wait. One thing a girl of the streets knew, was how to hide and wait. And she would.

And when those Orcs came back, she would be ready...

Nwofia too holds a smile on her face and a sling in her hands and waits and waits and waits.  So long she waits that in a random moment, she kisses eternity hard upon the lips.

"What makes this time different?" Pugnant asks.  "You have been bothering us about this for a long time."

"I heard the voice," Gnashrip says.

"So you have said.  Many times."

It's the kind of thing that makes even a serious Orc think "ummmm...": the difficulty of explaining how this was different from all the prior times without seeming like a moron.  For a moment, Gnashrip contemplates the "come with me and I will show you" strategy but dismisses it.  Gods, even Orc gods, do not like being called upon to prove themselves.  It's a divine ego thing.

"Orcs must all join together," Gnashrip says, further bending the message he heard into the message he wants to have heard.  "It is important.  Unity.  As the Humans and Elves say, Alliance."

Pugnant nods.  That much probably isn't a bad idea.  It's just when it's followed by the "now onward to battle and glory!"  That hasn't worked out too well.

"What did you think of the show?" Pugnant asks, changing the subject.

Gnashrip knows exactly what he thought of the show.  It promoted an idea he detests- living with Humans as something less than conquering masters.  "The show?  Ahh... umm... what makes you ask me this?"

Pugnant snorts.  "This is not luck, that the Humans have a show that is very much made for us... they were not so subtle... and now you are... more you than you usually are.  Not chance.  Not just happens-no reason.*  I think it is interesting that this god of yours reacted so strong.  I think show has had affect on you, or your god.  Maybe on both.  Show is strong, it is like Human wine-drink.  I think we see more.  You, me, other Orcs.  I tell Humans.  They bring show, just for Orcs tomorrow evening.  We see if show is so strong, what it does."

Pugnant orders another Orc to carry the message to the Humans:  the Travelling Show has been "invited" to make a special performance for the Orcs, so that Pugnant can "study the magic of it."



*the Orcish equivalent term to "happenstance" or "coincidence"

Tahra is an interested auditor.

Nwofia thinks about this.  "Njẹ a ti ṣe aṣiṣe buburu gidi ni akoko yii?" she asks aloud but no gods answer her and so she asks her fellow players.  "Have we ****** up really badly this time?  What would we want this Orcs only play to say?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:17, Thu 07 Mar 2019.

Alayna sat at the mansion for what seemed like forever. She had followed Gnashrip here, had sat a long time, gone to run into Nwofia and Tahra, then gone back. And Gnashrip had not returned.

And to be honest, the teenager was cold, tired and still a little scared. So she checked to make sure nobody was around, then started back to the camp, watching to make sure she did not run into any Orcs.

By the time she arrived at the show camp, she was shivering, tired and hungry. And ready for bed. Following Orcs was scary. Being a demigod was scarier.

The group reconvenes back at their camp, after the news is delivered.

Everything went exactly as not expected.

"That happens more often than I'd like it to," Phileas said.  "The more I see of this world, the less I understand of it.  What in the world is Pugnant getting at here?  Magic of our show?  Not... I don't think he means that literally.  I don't think he means he wants to see spells cast.  Orcs... their cursed language... sometimes you have to figure out what they mean even when you understand all the words!"

He paces around, with a look of concentration.

"No, we won't take the easy way out," he says, partly to himself.  "No simple production of a classic Orc tale.  Most of those are brutal and ugly things anyway.  We have to play this wisely and carefully."

Lindon was glad everything went all right.  Meaning, no one got hurt.  He was a little disappointed that no one followed the plan or included him in the new plan, but he was still happy it all went wrong without him.

"So," he summarized, "it's worse now.  Are we really the right people to try and fix this?"

Nwofia grinned a leopard's grin.  "No.  We're definitely not the people to fix this but we're the people who are here and if nobody does this show, then it will be worse (unless of course we can take out Pugnant and Gnashrip) or alternatively unless Pugnant means one or other of us to use actual magic on Gnashrip?"

Tahra has been pondering. "I'm wondering about our goals. We want the infernals defeated, so we want the Orcs to be against them. That means finding something the Orcs can b believe in. We want individual Orcs, as with anybody, to have choices. Maybe those who wish to conquer, besides being military could be loggers, miners, quarriers, road builders, smiths, and so on.

"But right now, we want Gnashrip to be satisfied with seeing a better way. We could make brutal and ugly boring, have an audience e4ager for a change.

"We could ask Gnashrip to help, to have a big role in, the show... including activities he'd like to have included."

Alayna shook her head. "I better not say anything, no matter what. I am the voice of the Gods. That won't help here, I don't think."

She sank to her knees burying her face in her hands. What had she done? Had she doomed them all?

Nwofia smiles.  "I don't speak Orc", she said, "and Alayna SHOULD not.  So who does that leave.  Somebody should ask Gnashrip because his help, or rather his belief that he has helped and the troupe is helping him, looks like our only chance of getting out of here without having to start a war." Her smile grows wider, lambent eyes like leopards' glowing in their own personal darkness, "I hate wars.  They're the wrong kind of chaos if that makes any sense to anyone?"

Tahra, who has learned what Alayna did, says You moved things along, Alayna. I agree with Nwofia. No speaking by you. You meet Gnashrip, be scared into muteness. We can say that's a personality quirk...you lose your voice when your scared. But for the show, can you simulate crying or actually cry at will?

Alayna raise her head showing her tears, then nodded.  "Oh yeah, I can. I used it as a girl when I lived on the streets. it was a handy skill."

She wiped her eyes, composed herself. Then, she looked at Tahra. Then, her eyes widened, as if the other woman had hit her, and the tears began to fall. She made no noise for a moment, then her lower lip quivered. Then, she took and shuddering breath, and then she began to sob.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:21, Mon 18 Mar 2019.

"Is there a way we can discredit Gnapstrip?" Lindon asked.  "Show his people how gullible he is?  I mean," he shrugged and waved at Alayna, "if he believes his orc god sounds like a little girl, his people would have to think his judgement is questionable.

"Couldn't we have his god have him bring some lieutenants along to hear his word.  Then maybe they'll realize how they're headed down the wrong path once they hear how preposterous this is?

"We just have to find a way for us, and the rest of the town, to NOT be blamed for this deception.  Blame it on pixies or something?"

I'd rather the show avoided discrediting any Orc. If Gnashrip's ideas are discredited, good. Let him do it himself, but then we should take steps to restore his pride. We want a Gnashrip who is a contributing member of society.

Stopping her tears, almost magically, Alayna looked up. "Why not make Gnashrip look bad? He says he speaks for the gods, and I became his god. Why not have me speak up? Hidden? Doing the thing I did to fool him? And call him out as a phony?"  She rubbed her eyes.

"I don't care if Orcs fight Orcs. I'm a part blood bastard. And not Orc. So if they kill each other and not us, so what? As long as it's not my blood."

Nwofia sighs.  "I'd prefer not to see orcs killing orcs even, at least at this stage.  If you kill someone, he becomes useless to you in future and the orcs are useful in protecting this Empire of yours against the seething masses I am told wait in the East.  That said, even if orcs kill orcs, simple internecine violence is not the same as war.  War is unhealthy for small children and animals and anyone else who gets caught in the crossfire."

Alayna, do you want a race war, a genocide? Pugnant is leading a faction that wants the Orcs to live what we'd consider normal lives. Do youwant him dead? Besides, we're in Burgundy. King Gundobad would be most displeased, like stick our heads on poles for crow food.